Ipsos taps Ponzi to raise awareness of corporate reputation practice

NEW YORK: Ipsos Public Affairs has hired Reputation Institute veteran Leonard Ponzi as SVP and MD of the US corporate reputation practice.

Ponzi, who stepped into the newly created role earlier this month, reports to Clifford Young, president of Ipsos Public Affairs in the US. He oversees 15 staffers.

The role was created to increase brand awareness of Ipsos’ corporate reputation practice and research presence throughout the US, Ponzi explained.

He is also tasked with expanding the breadth and depth of the Ipsos corporate reputation research and advisory offerings.

"Ipsos provides an awesome platform for data science and analytics and I believe it will be one of the premier reputation management practices globally," said Ponzi.

Before joining Ipsos, Ponzi was managing partner of the Reputation Institute’s global research and analytics team for nine years. In that role, he was responsible for leading a global team of 25 staffers to deliver high-value research, analytical insight, and counsel to clients from most major corporate sectors.

He stepped down from his role at the Reputation Institute in December, but stayed onboard until last month to honor a non-compete agreement.

Prior to joining the Reputation Institute in 2006, Ponzi spent several years with companies in the market research industry, such as GfK, where he served as a senior research director for custom research.

He has conducted research in a wide range of industries, including automotive, consumer package goods, pharmaceutical, publishing, travel, and hardware and software manufacturing.

Earlier this year, former Levick VP Philip Elwood joined Ipsos to help the market research company create offerings and build relationships with PR firms. The company also recently hired former Edelman Berland SVP Jason McGrath.

With offices in 90 countries around the world, Ipsos has more than 16,000 employees. The 40-year-old company is also the polling partner for Reuters.